Photo Courtesy of Corbis Images Obama pledges to work to address climate change during his second term. Related Links: EPA Moves Forward with Greehouse Gas Regulations EPA Carbon Proposal Could Shutter More Coal Plants Environmental groups are cheering the portion of President Obama's inaugural address promising second-term action on climate change. They say Obama probably will focus on regulatory actions to curb air emissions and will not try to push climate legislation.In his Jan. 21 speech, Obama said, "We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future
Related Links: Summary of new ASCE report on infrastructure investment ENR 8/1/11: ASCE Report Warns of Crumbling Infrastructure, Job Losses [surface transportation] The investment shortfall in U.S. infrastructure could total $1.1 trillion in 2020 and may reach $4.7 trillion in 2040, according to a new report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.The report, released on Jan. 15, concludes that if shortfalls hit those levels, the economy could suffer significantly in the coming years, and have negative effects on businesses and households.The report, “Failure to Act: The Impact of Current Infrastructure Investment on America's Economic Growth,” is the fifth and
Related Links: SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program Website One little-noticed provision of the recently enacted defense authorization bill could be a big boon to small and emerging contractors.The Defense Authorization Act of 2013, signed into law on Jan. 2, includes language that increases the size of projects that are eligible for the Small Business Administration’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program. The provision benefits small businesses in construction and other industries by expanding their ability to obtain bonds through the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee program for federal, state, local and private contracts.The SBA program has traditionally sought to give small firms access
Related Links: House Appropriations summary of $17-billion near-term part of the legislation Rep. Frelinghuysen summary of $33-billion long-term part of the measure (before amendments) The House has approved a $50.5-billion package to help New York, New Jersey and other Northeast states hammered by Hurricane Sandy carry out immediate repairs and also plan longer-term storm-protection measures.Construction-related funding in the package is substantial, particularly for transportation and waterways work. It includes $10.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration; $5.3 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers; and $2 billion for the Federal Highway Administration.The measure, which the House cleared on Jan. 15
Related Links: Supreme Court Jan. 8 ruling in L.A. Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council ENR article: Nation's High Court Tackles Three Water Cases Construction industry officials say they are pleased with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jan. 8 ruling in the first of two water-related cases argued before the court in December. The court unanimously ruled in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council and L.A. Waterkeeper that the flood-control district did not violate its State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit when it simply transferred already polluted water from one portion of its
U.S. Dept. of Labor Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Related Links: Dept. of Labor's Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda, released Dec. 21 Copy of Letter to DOL employees from Solis announcing her resignation Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced on Jan. 9 that she would step down from the top post at the Labor Dept., although she did not specify when she would leave. Solis is known for her tough enforcement approach. In a Jan. 9 letter to DOL employees, Solis said the agency’s enforcement and informal resolution programs “resulted in the recovery of almost $5 billion for retirees and their families.” Moreover, in
Photo By AP Wideworld Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) blasted House leadership for deferring initial Jan. 1 vote. Related Links: House Ends Session without Considering Sandy Bill From ENR New York 1/3/13: Tri-State Lawmakers, Industry Blast 112th Congress Over Inaction on Sandy Relief When Congress approved $9.7 billion for flood insurance claims from Superstorm Sandy victims on Jan. 4, government and construction-industry officials from areas hardest hit by the powerful late-October hurricane viewed the vote as a positive move. But they also insisted that those funds need to be supplemented—and soon—by an additional $50 billion to rebuild damaged infrastructure and construct
Related Links: What the Interim 'Fiscal Cliff Deal' Means for Construction White House summary of fiscal cliff agreement An at-the-wire deal that held the government at the brink of the "fiscal cliff" will hike taxes for some small construction firms and give companies a short reprieve from mandatory spending cuts slated to hit most federal construction accounts on Jan. 2. All in all, the tax increases would have been much steeper and more widespread and the budget cuts immediate if there had been no deal.But the product of the agreement, the American Taxpayers Relief Act, which Congress approved Jan. 1
Related Links: U.S. Dept. of Justice press release Text of Caddell statement Text of Justice Dept. agreement In an agreement with the Justice Dept., Caddell Construction Co. has paid a $2-million penalty to settle criminal fraud charges that the company intentionally made false statements to the Dept. of Defense concerning a small firm with which Caddell worked on three military construction projects.Under the agreement, announced on Dec. 27, Justice will not prosecute Montgomery, Ala.-based Caddell for its allegedly improper pay requests to DOD that included the false information. Justice noted Caddell’s “substantial cooperation,” voluntary disclosures and improvements in its reporting
Related Links: White House summary of bill's provisions ENR 12/3/12: Construction Industry Worries About Fiscal Cliff Link to text of bill as approved by House, Senate After a long legislative push on New Year's Day, Congress has cleared a measure to avert most of the tax hikes and temporarily hold off the mandatory spending cuts of the "fiscal cliff." President Obama signed the bill into law on Jan. 2.The package is largely a collection of extensions of tax provisions, and some tax hikes, affecting individuals and businesses, from large corporations to small, family-owned firms, including many in construction. It also